Absences down, grades up at Brush High School

Posted:
01/22/2013 08:44:13 AM MST

Updated:
01/22/2013 08:44:48 AM MST

Celebrations at the high school were just one presentation heard by the Brush Board of Education last week.Brush High School Principal Dave Vondy, along with Dean of Students Connie Dreitz, shared a variety of data regarding absences, suspensions, Gifted/Talented and RtI (Response to Intervention)."We are working great as a team," Vondy said of Dreitz, Assistant Principal/Athletic Director Jason Strauch and teacher Dan Kennedy, who comprise the lead team at the high school.In her report, Dreitz informed the board that student absences from December 2012 are down 962 periods or, a total of 137 gained periods. In December 2011, the total periods that students were absent was 12,088, with that number at 11,126 in December 2012.According to the dean of students, students under the age of 17 can be absent 10 days without being excused, however, if a student misses 10 days, they will be taken to truancy court, with five students in that category this past fall.Students over the age of 17 are given 16 absences and will receive no credit. She added that eight students received a no credit in November but all were in attendance and able to recover their grades by December 20.In school suspensions, she continued, also were down with 77 days in 2011, decreasing to 35 in 2012, with Out of School Suspensions also realizing a decrease from 73 in 2011 to 63 in 2012.To date, there are 55 students named to the Gifted/Talented program, with all ALP data now listed in Alpine Achievement.

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With the help of the internet and Colorado Department of Education, Dreitz is in the process of finding opportunities for these students to participate in. "We have 55 kids interested in doing different things," she told the board.The RtI program has kept each member of the team busy with Dreitz conducting 195-plus meetings. Kennedy has had 83 meetings with Vondy and Strauch participating in 80-plus meetings as well, she continued. Topics in these sessions covered grades, attendance and discipline.Continuing with RtI, Dreitz explained that 40 students designated in the "Red Zone" have received help since September 19 by meeting in the school library from 2:45 to 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. "Ten is the least amount we've helped on a given day and 15 is the most," said Dreitz.Students in the Red Zone, she explained, are those with three or more F's or five or more D's/F's on the ineligibility list or whose parents have requested additional help. Previously this zone was for students with three or more F's in academic subjects.The pair also reported that 167 students were named to the "down list" for the semester. Of those, 99 were on the list for D's only and did not fail a class. Of the remaining 68, 47 had one F, 16 had two F's and five had three or more F's.The celebration continued as it was announced that of the 411 students at Brush High School, 42 students are carrying a 4.0 grade point average, 182 are listed between 3.9 to 3.99 with 135 at a 2.0 to 2.99 GPA. Fifty-two students fall between 0 to 1.99 GPA."Over half of our population is over 2.0 and above," said Dreitz with Vondy adding, "That says great things about our teachers and staff."Another proud area for the administrative team is that the number of students with "down grades" dropped from 190 in the fall of 2011 to 167 for the fall of 2012."The BHS administrative team has completed 240 teacher observations, created an attendance policy, created a consistent RtI program that has made progress with students, gotten all G/T ALPs up to date and have begun implementation of ALPs and created a more consistent discipline procedure resulting in less infractions," they said.Also appearing before the board were Thomson Primary School intervention and reading teachers, Jeanette Dehning, Lyndsey Kimble and Sheila Bostrom, who shared their respective programs.Dehning, who helps kindergarten and first grade students, reported that she has 37 students this year, compared to 80 last year. "It has made a tremendous difference to have the extra person," she commented. "Working with 80 students as I did last year is not intervention so I greatly appreciate having a third intervention teacher added at Thomson," her report said."If there is one thing all my years of experience has shown me, it is that working with the lowest students in small groups is good, but being able to work with them one-on-one is the best for them and their education…the more students we can catch and work with in extremely small groups or one-on-one is truly the best for them and their education and can prevent or lessen so many problems as they progress through school."Kimble, who serves as half-time intervention and half time RtI coach, currently works with 20 first grade students, breaking that down into four Title reading groups, one math intervention section, one Reading Recover session and two Fundations Phonics sessions.Although she has seen growth in reading scores, the Thomson teacher has rearranged her morning groups to be better able to target and provide instruction that will help further students in making growth.In addition to these duties, Kimble works with the AIMS Web data program, progress monitors students, creates goals that are within an achievable range for each student, as well as updates the Data Wall after testing with Dibels, Johns, NWEA and Swiss.Working with second graders, Bostrom explained that 35 students were identified for reading intervention last fall. Of those, 27 students attend Bridges Class with Bostrom and Ms. Jones with eight students attending ELL reading support with Mrs. Villalobos and Mrs. Soto.Primary components of Bridges, she continued, are CAFE Framework consisting of comprehension, accuracy, fluency and expanding vocabulary; the use of research-based practices; and students and teachers working to examine strengths and weaknesses and setting achievable goals.A second intervention period is held from 2:10 to 2:50 p.m. four days a week for the entire second grade class the first semester, with 40 students, in small groups, participating in the Read Well Program for skill development and on-level practice.Bostrom also announced her new after school program that will meet four days a week from 3 to 4 p.m. Using a science/inquiry theme, activities will include the computer lab, literacy and comprehension practice, as well a Readers Theater for fun and building fluency."We really are struggling with our numbers at Thomson and the earlier you can catch them, the better," she told the board. "We have concerns as there are some students who would benefit from help…we are maxed out and would like to be able to find time to offer more one-on-one help."In other business, board members heard support from Brush FFA Chapter members Maggie Christenen and Alison Pabst.An officer for the team, Pabst said, "I have been able to see what ag does for us by going to conferences." And while there have been many improvements in the program, including the addition of ag advisor Kayde Naylon, Pabst told the board that more improvements are needed. "We have limited resources - the shop is in bad shape, it needs maintainence, equipment and tools are in bad shape and the few textbooks we have are very outdated," she commented.The BHS junior also feels it would beneficial for the program to have some type of greenhouse for plant sciences to "help us learn more, have more hands-on with plants…it would be beneficial for all students if we had more ag classes offered as is being proposed tonight.""I joined the ag program because ag is very important to our nation," Christensen said. "It offers more than leadership skills and working and speaking skills…it offers good relationship skills…you make friends and memories."By attending state and national convention, the BHS junior and club reporter, explained she has seen positive attitudes."These past few years, our ag program has been struggling. We have had three different ag teachers and are very glad to keep this one. Changing from teacher to teacher has been a struggle," she continued. "I believe this program can be a really good one in Colorado if we put out the effort."Part of that effort is a need for new books and equipment, safer tools, and storage space, she concluded. According to Naylong, the FFA program still has books from the 1970s on its shelves.Discussion on the FFA curriculum program continued later in the meeting with Naylon explaining, "I put together a two-year plan in order to meet the needs of the students - both FFA and those choosing FFA as an elective. This is a labor of love. I came about mid-summer and moved on the last few months on how do we build an ag program that these students deserve," she told the board."It's a place to build a home. They should have a top rate ag department in Brush as ag is the heart of the community."Noticing a lack of course options for students, the FFA advisor has talked to students about what they need and given them a chance to be heard. "They were thrilled" she said of asking their opinions.According to Naylon, the first step is to identify what is needed in both career and technical education. "We need to focus on improving the program," she stated, adding the proposed courses, which she said are the "brainchild" from input received from the ag committee comprised of staff and area residents, follow a progression and move through to higher level classes."This is a program that needs to grow…the enrollment data over the past three to four years has become stagnant…we'd like to grow and this is a method to grow," she commented. "We do have some dire needs and don't have any resources," Naylon continued, adding that lessons taught in her class comes from her experiences. "The students deserve the best ag program in the state - if not the country - and I'm here to advocate for them."A motion was made, and approved, authorizing Naylon to begin the process of putting together a curriculum, as well as a plan as to what needs to be done to move the ag program ahead.Board members also approved a recommendation by Technology Director Randy Dalton to create two positions for his department, as technology assistant Steven Hankins recently resigned. One, said Dalton, would be a systems specialist, with the other to be a computer technician. His recommendation also asked to move his current technician into one of the positions and advertising the remaining spot.Bleacher improvements, involving the addition of handicap seating to the grandstand at Beetdigger Stadium, were approved with Bleachers International of Englewood to complete the renovations by March 30 at a cost of $42,454. Five companies were contacted with three returning a bid, said Director of Facilities Barry Quinlin."It's been a couple of years coming," Quinlin noted. "We're glad we're going to be able to do it. It will help students and their families enjoy and benefit from the improvements."In other business, board members approved resolutions for adoption and appropriation of the final budget; a commercial card program with Bank of the West; records management, and bank account signatures, approved December 17 as a day of no school for Brush Middle School due to a power outage; approved the 2013 Board of Education meeting schedule; accepted a $25,000 donation from a Morgan County anonymous donor; and the consensus agenda that included the employment of Jessica Gibbs as half-time early childhood teacher and half-time early childhood paraprofessional at Thomson and Aaron Lambertson as a special education paraprofessional at the high school. Board members also accepted the resignation of Steven Hankins and approved Lambertson to serve as a volunteer baseball coach at the high school.In his quarterly financial report, Business Officer Aaron Oberg explained that, "We really are in the budget kick-off…this is the jump start to the new budget year." He currently is working on a five-year that he will provide to the board at an upcoming meeting.Good news for the district is it is ahead of where it is expected to be with revenue, he said, with expenditures also where expected. "There's nothing new….I don't see any major fallbacks…I still think we will finish the year at the fund balance projection."The next meeting of the Brush BOE will be at 5:30 p.m. on February 5 at the district office.A meeting pertaining to the Mill Levy Override has been scheduled for 7 p.m. on February 20, also at the district office.

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